Apparatus for feeding fuel to oil-engines.



C. W. BAKER & J. J. SWAN.

APPARATUS FOR FEEDING FUEL T0 01L ENGINES.

APPLICATION FILED DEC-11,1913.

Patented Aug. 10, 1915.

2 SHEETS-SHEET l.

y M n m T A WITNESSES:

C. W. BAKER & J. J. SWAN.

APPARATUS FOR FEEDING FUEL TO OIL ENGINES.

APPLICATION FILED DE- H, I9l3- Patented Aug. 10, 1915.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2. R

\N .w. 1.1. [IV um w rll mm WITNESSES:

/ y u A ATTORNEY/i CHARLES WHITING BAKER, OF MONTGLAIR, AND JOHN J'. SWAN, (3F PLAINFIELD, NEW

. JERSEY.

APPARATUS FOR FEEDING FUEL TO OIL-ENGINES.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Aug. to, rein.

Application filed December 11, 1913. Serial No. 805,932.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that We, CHARLES WHITING BAKER, of Montclair, county of Essex, and State of New Jersey, and JOHN J. SWAN, of Plainfield, county of Union, and State of New Jersey, have invented certain new and useful" Improvements in Apparatus for Feeding Fuel to Oil-Engines, of which the following is a specification.

Our improvements relate to a system of fuel feeding, such as is described in United States application'Serial No. 782,158, filed by said Charles Whiting Balrer July 31, 1918, in which the liquid fuel is fed to the engine continuously by a pump and 1s atomized by a current of gas moving at high velocity, and our improvements relate to means for driving thefuel feeding pump and for producing the current of gas for atomizing the fuel with means for heating the atomized fuel.

Our improved fuelfeeding apparatus is illustrated in the accompanying drawings in whichs Figure 1 is a vertical section through the apparatus which is attached to the air inlet pipe of the engine; Fig. 2 a vertical section at right angles to Fig. 1; Fig 3 a partial front view of the gear pump with the cover removed; Fig. 4 a section of a form of our apparatus adapted for use with non-volatile fuels such as kerosene; and Fig. 5 a vertical section at right angles to the section in Fig. 4:.

Our method of feeding fuel to oil engines here described consists essentially in drawing the air supply for the engine through an air motor which is rotated at a speed proportionate to the amount of air passing to the engine, and utilizing the power of the air motor, through speed reducing gearing,

to drive a small pump which has its suction pipe connected to a reservoir of liquid fuel and its delivery pipe discharging into an atomizing passage through which a current of air or gas is caused to flow athigh speed, delivering the atomized fuel into the engine intake pipe.

Referring to the drawings the numeral 1 designates the air motor, consisting of the circular case 2, in which revolves the wheel 3, having vanes A, against which the air entering through the tangential intake tube 5 impinges. The air passes out through the tangential delivery tube 6 which is connected to the intake pipe of the engine. The,

1 center of the delivery tube 6. The current of air passing at high velocity through tube 6 induces a current through the atomizing passage 15. In'order that air may flow at high velocity through the. atomizing passage 15, even'when the engine is running slowly and consuming a small volume of air, we place a pair of shutters 17 and 17 in the delivery tube 6, hinged to-the sides thereof and meeting at the center, their edges being so formed as to close around the atomizing tube. Springs 18 and 18 are so arranged as to turn the shutters toward the center.

NVhen the shutters are closed against the atomizing tube 15 all the air passing to the engine has to pass through this small tube. As the speed and air consumption of the engine increases, the suction of the entering air will exert a force tending to open the shutters greater than the force of the springs which tend to close them, and the shutters will open wider and wider with increasing speed. The springs 18 and 18 are so proportioned that the force tending to turn the shutter is nearly the same at all points of the shutters motion. The springs may be set, for example, so that at a suction of 1 oz. per sq. in., the shutters will begin to open andallow part of the inrushing air to pass pp on the outside of the atomizing tube.

igh velocity will still be 'maintained through the atomizing tube, however, as its flaring open end is impinged upon by a column of air moving at great velocity, and a suction is also produced on its upper end by the friction of the moving air column.

In order that the liquid fuel may be evenly distributed around the periphery of the at omizing passage, small spiral vanes 19 are placed at the entrance of the atomizing tube 15 to give the atomizing air current a whirling motion. It will be noted that any liquid fuel which may not beperfectly atomized and may drop back down the delivery tube,

will be again thrown up the tube at high veloeity by the rapidly rotating vanes of the air motor. The case of the air motor being made tight against leakage, loss of liquid fuel is rendered impossible. Instead of using an air current produced'by the engine its'elf'to effect atomization, in themanner;

omizing tube 15, is here placed on the eX-' terior of the air inlet passage. The current of gas used to atomize theliquid fuel delivered from the pump through the pipe 14, ishere provided by a pipe 20 leading from the engine cylinders, in the manner shown in said Bakers application Serial No; 7 82,158

above referred. to. The hot gas, with its,

load of atomized fuel, passes at hlgh velocity through the coiled pipe 21, and finally emerges as a jet of mingled gas and fuel fromthe nozzle 22 in the center of the air intake pipe 23. In order to heat the coil 21, it is surrounded'by a casing 24, covered with heatinsulating material 25 and hot exhaust gas is drawn from the'exhaust pipe of the engine through the pipe 26, and is, discharged from the casing through the pipe 27, which is led back to the exhaust pipe 7 again.

In constructing the above described apparatus, the proportion of the air to the fuel delivered will be fixed by the relative capacities of the air motor andthe fuel pump and the ratio of the speed reducing gearing by which the former drives the latter. It is, however, of'advantage to place the proportion of air to fuel underrcontroli of the en-. gine driver, so that he can varyfthe power of the engine not only by the throttle valve in the inlet air pipe but by varying the rich-.

ness of the mixture. It is also desirable that taketube is nearly closed, leaving only a narrow opening on the outer side. When the shutter is in this nearly closed position, the air entering the narrow slit, left open,

has to pass at much higher velocity than if the shutter were wide open and it strikes the moving vanes 4 close to their ends where its force causes the greatest turning moment. As soon as the speed of the engine increases so that a greater volume of air is drawn through the motor, the shutter 28 is automatically opened wider by thesuction. The amount of openingof the shutter is limited by the movable stop 30, adjusted by a swinging arm 31, and a connection 32 from this arm to a lever conveniently located. enables the engine driver to instantly adjust the stop 30, so as to give the desired proportion of air to the fuel. In order that the speed reducing gearing and the air motor may be continuously lubricated Without frequent attention, we inclose the gearing between the motor and the pump ina casing the vlower part of which may be filled with oil in which the gear wheel 8 will dip as it revolves. The wheel 3, of the air motor may turn in ball bearings which may be lubricated from the gear casing.

The pump 11 ,drivenby the air motor may be of any suitable form but we prefer to use a rotary gear pump con'sistingsof a pair of intermeshing gear wheels revolving in a closely fitting case, the shaft of one of said wheels being driven by the air motor as already explained.

Very accurate to'the case is desirable, so-that the pump may operate with a low percentage of slip and yet may turn freely with little friction.

In the delivery pipe from the pump 11 to the atomizing tube 15 we place a loaded.

check-valve 34. This valve prevents any leakage through the pump to the "atomizing nozzle except when the pump is running and fitting of the gear wheels delivering fuel under pressure suflicient to lift the check --valve from its seat. It also makes the head against which the pump works practically constant'at all speeds.

What Weclaim and desire to secure by LettersiPatent of the United States is 1. In a fuel feeding system for oil engines, the combination of a motor driven by the entering air current, a liquid fuel pump 1 driven by said motor, means for producing V a rapid current of air or gas through a passage i'nto'which'the liquid fuel from'said pump is delivered, means for delivering said current charged with liquid fuelinto the engine intake, and means for ,varying the speed of-the' air motor for, a given rate of air consumption by the engine.

2. In a fuel feeding system for oil engines, the combination with a motor driven by the entering air current and a pump driven by said motor, of means for .yarying the speed of the, air motor for a given rate of air con sumption by the engine.

3. In a fuel feeding systemfor oil engines, an air intake, a motor mounted in said intake and adapted to be actuated by the entering air current, a fuel pump connected to and actuated by said motor, a pipe for delivering the fuel to the intake, and means for varying the speed of the air motor for a given rate of air consumption by the engine. i. In a fuel feeding system for oil engines, an air intake, a motor mounted in said intake and adapted to be actuated by the entering air current, a fuel pump connected to and actuated by said motor, an atomizer in the intake, a pipe to deliver the fuel to said atomizer, and means for varying the speed of the air motor for a given rate of air consumption by the engine.

5. In a fuel feeding system for oil engines, an air intake, a motor mounted in said intake and adapted to be actuated by the entering air current, a fuel pump connected to and actuated by said motor, an atomizer in the intake on the delivery side of the motor,

trolling the inflow of air to the motor and" adapted to vary its speed.

In witness whereof we have hereunto signed our names in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

CHARLES WHITING BAKER. JOHN J. SWAN.

Witnesses:

' M, E. McNrNcn,

CHARLES S. J ONES. 

